YouTube Tutorial – Page 2

INTRODUCING: A Mini Block Quilt Along!

Who’s ready for a new Quilt Along?!?!?!

MEEEEE!! 🙋🏻

Yes! Quilt Along no.4 is here and ready to launch! 🎉

If you didn’t know by now, this time around we’re doing a Mini Block version! And I’m super excited to get it started!

Here are some of the deets you need to know:

Final Layout (This may change slightly…)

Firstly, all nine blocks in the Quilt Along will finish at approx. 5.5″ or 5″ once pieced altogether.

The theme of my Mini Block Quilt is rainbow! Each block will be colour blocked to a specific solid fabric colour so that the end result will look a little like the diagram above. (Fingers crossed!!) Please feel free to make yours any theme you want! Scrappy, matchy-matchy, black and white – anything! – the choice is completely up to you!

The blocks are 100% fat quarter, pre-cut bundle and meterage/yardage friendly! (Jelly Rolls and Charm Packs can work, but a few blocks will require bigger pieces of fabric than a 2.5″-5″ strips/pieces.) You will need additional fabric for the sashing & borders (I’m using a white solid), for the backing and binding along with a piece of cotton/bamboo/blended batting.

(NB: The following are estimated measurements and may slightly change as the Quilt Along progresses.)

For the blocks: any type fat quarter bundles etc will be perfect – prints & colours are your choice!

For the sashing & binding: 1 metre/1 yard x WOF* of a solid or print fabric (112cm/44″) – again, the choice is yours!

For the backing & binding: 90cmxWOF* (35″xWOF) of each

For the binding: 30cmxWOF* (12″x44″)

For the rod pocket: 12cmx76cm (4.5″x30″) – fabric matching the backing

FINISHED MINI BLOCK QUILT SIZE: 80cmx80cm (31.5″x31.5″) estimate

The techniques I’ll be covering in the Quilt Along include: piecing (HSTs** and Flying Geese), English Paper Piecing, basting, quilting, attaching a binding, label and an optional rod pocket.

As always, each block tutorial will be accompanied by a pattern sheet featuring all of the measurement and cutting information that can be easily downloaded and printed out. There will also be a dedicated playlist for this Quilt Along on my YouTube channel that you can easily click and have all of the tutorials together in one place.

And finally, I want to take some space to acknowledge where I got my inspiration and details for each block… A wonderful book that resides in my Quilt Book library: ‘130 Mini Quilt Blocks’ by Susan Briscoe. I absolutely love this book! It’s full of sweet little block designs that range from the traditional, to the modern and to the real weird and a bit wacky! Most blocks in the book measure around the 5″ mark, a few are smaller while there are a couple that finish around the 6″-7″ mark. It’s a fab little book for inspiration and ideas and I’d definitely encourage you to check it out if mini blocks are your kinda thing!

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I think that’s everything I need to let you know right now…

I’ve decided not to promise on getting a new block tutorial out every week or anything as my work schedule is always up-in-the-air (the joys of casual work!) and I can never be sure of when I have the time to get content made etc. (Sorry in advance!)

If there are any questions you have about the series, what blocks we’ll be making, what fabrics and notions you’ll need – anything! – please don’t hesitate to send me an email to: 3and3quarters@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer you as soon as I can!

Also, I’ll be doing another hashtag on Instagram for you guys to use so we can all see each others blocks and spread some encouragement and positivity! Note this down lovelies – the hashtag for this Quilt Along will be #AmandasMiniQAL – real original, I know, but I wanted it to be something simple and easy to remember and type in! 😜

Block #1 will be up very, very, very soon!!!

I hope you’ll join in on the fun, learn some new stuff along the way and make a gorgeous little Mini Quilt that you’ll love!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

*WOF = Width of Fabric

**HSTs = Half Square Triangles

PS. Here’s the intro video if you’re interested in watching that too!

An Update From My Sewing Room… #7

Oh boy, it sure has been a while since I last did one of these posts! I couldn’t even remember what number edition I’m up to! 😂
But there’s lots to catch up on so let’s dive right in!

So, I know I’ve possibly over-shared this with you already but I made a quilt! A beautiful baby quilt for nephew no. 5 due just after Christmas! Visiting an all-time favourite pattern by Denyse Schmidt, I made this sweet Tribute Star Baby Quilt in a darling navy and turquoise blue colour-way paired with a light grey solid background. And I think it’s just perfect!

Making baby quilts for my nephews and nieces to-be have always been my most favourite to make! They’re made with pure love and excitement at the prospect of a new little life coming into our family. The thought process, the labour (pun not intended!) and then the end result is always the best. ❤️

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Polar-opposite to the start of the year, the last few months of 2017 have seen me do so much more sewing than I have in a long time! And I’m not complaining either – it’s been such a lovely respite from the hectic year I’ve had.
A part from my nephews baby quilt and my QAL quilt, another project I’ve been working on is my Pixelated Rose Quilt by Riley Blake Designs.

My, my, my, is this quilt gonna be epic!! I’m currently just over half way into piecing the quilt top together. Out of 30 blocks, I’ve just completed no. 21. It looks a bit messy here on my design wall, but once all blocks have been pieced together it’s gonna look real schmick!

I’ve found that this quilt is so big that I’ve had to piece, lay-up on my design wall and then take down the first half of the quilt top to accompany the next half on my design wall. I’m dreading the day when I have to quilt it! My ‘patience pants’ are gonna have to be on tight that day! 😂
Once this quilt is finished, I’ll hopefully do another post chatting through the process I did to successfully make it.

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November for my blog is a significant one because it’s our anniversary! Yep, six years ago on the 4th November, I wrote and published my very first blog post.
I always try and do a little hark back around this time reflecting on where I’ve started and how much everything has grown and evolved…

I’m gonna be honest with you, these past few years I’ve carried around so much guilt (completely placed on me by me and nobody else!!) that I haven’t been able to give my all and more to my blog and YouTube channel like I have in the past. I’m completely aware of how busy life is for all us and that’s just how it is. And because of that, things have had to be put into perspective of what is most important to keep my head above water… ie. heading back to work for a bit of much needed income!
Both my blog and YouTube channel are really important things for me. They’re like my little personal spot in the Quilting World where I can share my knowledge and love for quilting, sewing, craft as well as reaching out and connecting with other like-minded Quilty people all over the world.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with all of this but…

I think what I’m trying to say is that I’m actively planning on spending more time and effort on my ‘sites’ next year because it’s what I want to do. It’s what I love to do. And it’s what I want to put all my energy and passion into.

So heading into my 7th year of 3and3quarters, let’s cheers to a productive and successful year that I can look back on and be proud of!!

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Touching on YouTubes and things, are you caught up on the last few quilty videos I’ve put up?
The first being the one where I chatted though 10 of my favourite quilting tools.

I was inspired by another video I did a few years ago where I shared 5 quilting tools that I couldn’t live without. (It’s a bit of a cringe to watch – it was like the fourth video I ever filmed and uploaded on my channel!) This new one though is a bit more of an update of tools that I’ve found to be really helpful in almost any patchwork situation. I thought it was just a little bit of fun and I’ve loved that some of you have shared with me a few of your favourite quilting tools. I love how we all have our own different gadgets that we find we cannot live without when we’re sewing. It’s so fascinating!

The other tutorial is my most recent – a Hexie Flower Quilt Label!

I had quite a few request for this tutorial when I posted on my Instagram page the label for my Star Sampler Quilt (and Tribute Star Baby Quilt).

And I was more than happy to do one!
It was about time that I revisited a how-to video on making English Paper Pieced hexies and how to stitch them together. It again feels like a life time when I filmed my first Hexie How-To with my young pudgy face chatting you through the intro and ending. Another cringe watch!! 😑
But I will always love making Hexie Flowers as quilt labels. It’s a great opportunity to use up scraps and bring a bit of the front of the quilt to the back. It’s just so patchwork!

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Whether it be a curse or a blessing, my hours at work have been significantly cut. 😦 This could change from week to week, but at the moment, it is what it is. It’s business, not personal…
So!!!! Christmas tutorial planning is a go! Yay!!!

A modified Tribute Star quilt block (Christmas Edition) is in the works along with a patchwork-type Advent Calendar! (The latter is still in the very early stages of planning – measurements and other things have been sketched out, I just gotta do a trial run to iron out any wrinkles – HA! – and then I’ll be set to get filming it. It’s one that ideally should be finished before December 1st! Fingers crossed!)
I’ve also got a few other Christmassy ideas up my sleeve but I’m keeping mum on them for dramatic purposes! 😜

I’m also considering doing a thing called Vlogmas. It’s where I vlog everyday(-ish) during the month of December right up to Christmas Eve or in my case, I’ll include Christmas Day (and possibly Boxing Day too as it’s my middle brothers birthday and it’s usually a pretty busy and fun day). I thought it would be a great opportunity to show those of you in other countries how we celebrate Christmas in Australia during Summer!
No promises. But it is a possibility…

And that’s all I’ve got to share with you at the moment!

I hope you’re all finding some time to complete some of your own Christmas crafts and are gearing up for a busy holiday season ahead!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Star Sampler Quilt | Finishing Touches

After almost a year of getting the ball rolling, the end of my Star Sampler Quilt Along has come to an end! *insert sad/happy face – whichever one applies!*

In the final instalment of the series, I’ve jammed packed it full of all of the ‘finishing touches’ we need to do to have a completed quilt!

This time ’round there’s no pattern sheet to follow or to download, instead everything you’ll need to know is either in the video tutorial or listed here in this post…

So once you’ve finished piecing together your quilt top with sashing and borders, it’s ready to be backed and basted in preparation for quilting! If you’ve made your quilt with the same measurements as mine, you’ll need:

BACKING: WOF*x150cm (59″)

BATTING: 120cmx150cm (47″x59″)

For my batting I’m using a lovely Premium 100% Cotton Quilt Batting in an Autumn weight by a company called Bosal. To be honest, before receiving this, I never knew that batting was or could be available in ‘seasonal weights’. I chose an Autumn weight as it’s not too fluffy (or lofty) to sandwich between my quilt top and backing, while still being light/heavy enough to keep one warm on a chilly winter’s eve.

When it comes to basting your quilt, use the method that you feel the most comfortable with. For me, that’s spray basting. It’s quick, simple and equates to less time rolling on the floor pricking my fingers with pesky pins! 😀

The same advice goes for your choice in quilting. From the early stages of planning this QAL, I always envisaged this quilt to have a subtle mathematical grid texture to it’s surface. To achieve it, I used my handy Clover Hera Marker and long quilting ruler to mark a 2″ grid pattern across the top of the quilt, three lines at a time (ie. mark three lines, quilt, then mark another three lines, quilt etc.) until the entire quilt was finished.

After trimming away any excess backing/batting from around the edges of the quilt, it’s time to bind! To make your own quick and easy binding, you’ll need:

BINDING: WOF*x40cm (16″)

Cut this into x6 2.5″ strips and sewn end to end on a diagonal to create a long binding strip.

After pressing the binding in half, simply machine sew it onto the front of the quilt as shown in the tutorial, then bring it around to the back and slip-stitch the other edge to the back of the quilt. Too easy!!

Don’t forget to label your quilt with the month/year the quilt was completed, the name of the quilt as well as the name of the person who made it! My label is still to be made (oops, my bad!) but when I do, hopefully I’ll remember to come back to this post and upload a photo of it for you! 😀

FINISHED QUILT MEASUREMENT: 141cmx107cm (55.5″x42″)

*WOF = Width of Fabric

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I want to extend a HUGE thank you to the lovely ladies over at Dayview Textiles who so generously helped out with the fabrics and materials I used for this series. Without them I would’ve been able to have the pleasure of using such beautiful fabrics from the Printshop Fabric Range!

And of course, thank you to all of you who participated so patiently in this series! I’ve absolutely loved seeing all of your gorgeous blocks, quilt tops and finished quilts – you’re all so talented and amazing! Although the series is finished, keep on sharing them with me using the hashtag #AmandasQuiltAlong on Instagram as well as over on my Facebook page!

So now that the QAL is finished, it’s time to move on to some more ‘old-school’ content that you’ve been used to seeing! That means some new block tutorials, crafty sewing tutorials, flower based tutorials, some fun Christmas things as well as other usual stuff like Monthly Favourites, Vlogs, Hauls etc! Exciting times ahead people!! Yeah!

So while I go and enjoy my last week of being in my twenties (It’s my 30th Birthday this coming Sunday! Eek!), I hope you all have fun completing your gorgeous quilts!

Happy Sewing, Friends!!

PS. Happy News! I now have a PO Box! If you would like to send me something lovely, you can using this address:

Amanda Rolfe
PO Box 1179
St Marys NSW 1790
Australia

Star Sampler Quilt | Quilt Top Construction

PATTERN SHEET: Star Sampler Quilt QUILT TOP

Sorry it’s been a while a since I last checked in on my Star Sampler Quilt Along! Things have been crazy over on this side of the computer monitor. Work. Family. Sickness. Winter. The list goes on and on! But hooray! After many weeks of coming and going with filming this tutorial, I finally got it finished! Whew!

Hopefully my little hiatus has given you the time to catch up on completing all 12 Star blocks and are now ready to sash and piece them all together! Cos that’s what we’re doing today!

When placing the blocks into their final positions, feel free to mix them up and place blocks in any order you wish. Also, if you want to make your sashing and border pieces wider than mine than that’s okay too! Just be aware that the wider and longer you make your quilt top, the more batting and backing fabric you’ll need in the next part!

As always, everything you’ll need to know in regards to the measurement and cutting information as well as the fabrics* I’ve use to piece the quilt top together are in the pattern sheet linked at the beginning of this post!

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Depending on my work schedule and other social thingys I’ve got happening over the next month or so, I hope to get started on the next stage of the Quilt Along very soon! (Fingers crossed for next week!!) Now that the blocks have been pieced together and a lovely quilt top has emerged, I can’t wait to see it finished in it’s all glory! The fabrics I’ve chosen for the backing and binding are going to finish the quilt off beautifully!! So exciting!!

I hope you’re all having a lovely week and enjoy the weekend ahead!!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

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*A big thanks to Australian wholesale supplier and fabric distributer Dayview Textiles for supplying me with such beautiful fabrics! If you want to see all of the fabrics I’ll be using in this Quilt Along, check out this post where I share them all with you!

Star Sampler Quilt | Block #12: Aunt Eliza’s

PATTERN SHEET: Star Sampler Quilt BLOCK12

Can you believe it!? The final block tutorial in my Star Sampler QAL is here! Yay! (And also boo!! There are no more stars to make!)

I think I saved quite a little darling of a block to make right at the end… All of the hard blocks are over and done with and now it’s just plain sailing into the finishing off of the blocks. The Aunt Eliza’s Star is simple, quick and very effective to make – you’ll have yours pieced before you know it!

For all of the measurement and cutting details, along with the fabrics* I’ve used to piece this block together and a diagram of the block layout, click on the pattern sheet linked at the top of this post. If you would like to use a similar 12.5″ set square as me, you can find it here:June Tailor Get-Squared 12.5″ Ruler.

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Now that we have all of our blocks made, it’s time to piece them together into a quilt top!

Although at the end of the tutorial I mentioned that I didn’t know whether I wanted to do sashing and borders, I’m 99.5% sure that I’ll do a smaller sashing than I have in the past… I’m thinking a 1″ sashing between each of the blocks and a 2″-3″ border around the edge.

So once we have the quilt top pieced, we’ll be able to start talking about what types of batting we can use along with what fabric prints/colours you’ll like to use for the backing AND what type of design we can use when it comes to quilting it!

So although the making-the-blocks-part has come to an end, there’s still so much more to think about, plan and do before we have a lovely finished quilt!

Bring it on!! 🙂

Happy Sewing, Friends!!

PS. Once they’ve all been pieced, I would love to see a photo of all of your 12 finished blocks together like I have above! Although this isn’t my final layout, it’s so exciting to see them all sitting so prettily next to one another! 🙂

Star Sampler Quilt | Block #10: Martha Washington

PATTERN SHEET: Star Sampler Quilt BLOCK10

Hello Friends!

Today I bring to you the next block tutorial in my Star Sampler Quilt Along series! We’re up to no. 10 – this one is called the Martha Washington Star! And gosh, isn’t it a pretty one! The pretty little pinwheel in the centre has me swooning every time I look at it.

Named after the very First Lady of the U.S, this sweet block is perfect for all levels of quilters and has lots of basic piecing techniques all patchworkers should have under their belt. Techniques used to make this block include half square triangles, quarter square triangles and in come cases (not in ours today though), the making of flying geese units.

When pulling the fabric for this block, you can choose to go either way in your colour schemes. You can use the same fabric for the pinwheel centre and the surrounding HSTs or do like me and use two contrasting fabrics. Heck, if you really want to, have some fun and do a scrappy block! The choice is all yours! 🙂

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Goodness! With block 10 made, we’ve only two more blocks to go until we start piecing our quilt top together! Huzzah!

I can’t wait to share with you what block 11 is! The best way I can describe it is that it’s a bit on the chunky side, design wise! Te-he! Despite that, it’s a beautiful block and I’m super excited to make it!

Until then friends, keep on sharing your finished blocks and I hope you all have a lovely and safe Easter break!

Happy Sewing!

Star Sampler Quilt | Block #9: Missouri Star

PATTERN SHEET: star-sampler-quilt-block9

Hello there!

Are we ready for another block tutorial in my Star Sampler Quilt Along?!

Block 9 is the Missouri Star, a design I’ve actually never made before. Fun fact of the day; when I was filming this, it was actually my first time making too!

When I was piecing it together, I was honestly unsure whether or not I had made the right choice in fabrics. I felt that the prints and colours of my two main fabrics didn’t quite mesh well together… But once I finished the block and took a step back, I think it works. The contrast in the fabrics show the design of the block and help highlight those semi-tricky half quarter square triangle units!

My tips for making this block:

Taking your time to make sure you square up the centre unit to a 6.5″ square as well as ensuring your HSTs and then half QSTs are trimmed and squared up to the measurements mentioned in the tutorial.

When making your half QST units, pay attention when placing the marked background fabric squares on top of your HST units. The marked line should be running in the opposite direction to the seam of the HST underneath.

Keep true to a 1/4″ seam allowance. All of your seams and points will match up perfectly, resulting in a precise 12.5″ block at the end after squaring it up.

As always, everything you’ll need to know in regards to the measurement and cutting information as well as the fabrics* I’ve use to piece this block together are in the pattern sheet linked at the beginning of this post! If you would like to use a similar 12.5″ set square as me, you can find it here: June Tailor Get-Squared 12.5″ Ruler.

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Can you believe it, we’re nine blocks down with only three more to go?! Time flies when you’re having fun, huh?!

I’m super excited for block 10! We’ll be making the Martha Washington Star block (google it to see how pretty it is!). The thing I love most about that block is the gorgeous half QST pinwheel in the centre! Too cute!!

Keep sharing your blocks! (Use the hashtag #AmandasQuiltAlong on Instagram!) If you can, post a picture like mine above showing me all nine of your blocks so far! All of your quilts are going to be beautiful, I just know it! 😀

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Star Sampler Quilt | Block#8: Crystal Star

PATTERN SHEET: star-sampler-quilt-block8

Huzzah!! The day is FINALLY here where Block 8 in my Star Sampler Quilt Along series is up on my YouTube channel, ready for you to make!!

My deepest apologies for the taking a hella-of-a long time to get this block out to you! Excuses include: Christmas, New Years, Holidays (cruise time!) and lots of work shifts slotted in between. Not to mention our Internet decided to conveniently break last week, leaving us with a veeeeerrrrrryyyy sllllllooooooowwwww connection for about 8 days. Uploading a video and trying to write a blog would’ve been painful and very soul-crushing!

But alas, our Internet is back and happy, I’m back and happy from my long break away from YouTubing and blogging and I’m ready to dive straight back into the creating!

So back on topic; Block 8 is such a simple beauty to piece together. It does require you to be quite precise with your cutting, piecing and trimming of each unit, but I go more into that in the video. Have fun choosing some great contrasting fabrics to really make each element in the Star pop!

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Like I mention in the video, I’ll be starting on Block 9 this week. It features elements that we’ve covered before in the series, but will be applied in a slightly different way. (Pretty cryptic, huh?!) I’m genuinely very excited to make this block as I think the final outcome of it will be stunning!!

Don’t forget to keep sharing your blocks with me!

Instagram: @3and3quarters (using the hashtag: #AmandasQuiltAlong)

My Facebook Page

Happy Sewing, Friends!!

Star Sampler Quilt | Block #7: Indian Star

PATTERN SHEET: star-sampler-quilt-block7

And away we go again!

Block seven is finally here for you to watch, enjoy and make! Yay!

I’m so sorry for taking ages to get this one out to you – I’ve been terribly ill with a nasty flu/chest infection for the past week and a bit and needed some urgent R&R!

But happy days, I’m back and feeling a lot more like myself again!

Like I promised last time, block seven is a more simpler and kinder block to piece together compared to what block six was. The Indian Star is a lovely and gentle design consisting of a few classic patchwork construction techniques – flying geese and a four-patch!

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As mentioned in the video, block eight is a similar variation to the Indian Star. It’s another easy one where we’ll be re-visiting the flying geese technique again, which I’m all sure you’re all pros at making by now!

Until then,

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Star Sampler Quilt | Block #6: Amish Star

PATTERN SHEET: star-sampler-quilt-block6

Hello! Geez, it’s been a while huh?! Apologies for being so out of touch these past few weeks… I’ve been working my (not so) little butt off and struggling to find the time and energy to get these block tutorials out to you!

But happy days, I’ve finally been given a few days off to get my life back into some sort of order! And first thing’s first, block 6 needed to be done!

I’m absolutely in love with this one! It’s called the Amish Star block and is such a little darling of a design! (BTW, is it pronounced Ay-mish or Arr-mish? I got no clue?) I’ve loved how I’ve been able to play around with fussy cutting the centre unit and adding pops of colour in the corners. Initially, I was going to make this block using just two fabrics – the usual background fabric and then just one black print from the Print Shop range. But I ended up changing it as I wanted to use more of the range throughout the blocks. So this is the colour-way I came up with and I’m sooo happy with it!

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I can’t to share with you what I’ve got in store for block 7! It’s a nice simple easy one that I think you’ll enjoy making! (It’ll be a nice respite from all of the tricky blocks we’ve been making lately!) I’ll also be sharing another two fabrics from the Print Shop range that I haven’t used yet! One of them is my favourite print from the range!

Until then,

Happy Sewing, Friends!

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